Appealing a parking ticket if you have a Blue Badge
It's worth appealing your parking ticket if you were parked correctly, or if you got a ticket because of your mobility problems.
A Blue Badge lets you use certain on-street parking spots that are close to your destination. If you’re not sure whether you were parked in line with the Blue Badge rules, check where you can park on the Welsh government website.
You'll need to send proof of your Blue Badge with your appeal. This could be a scanned copy of your badge or your badge serial number.
Ask for a letter from your council confirming you're a Blue Badge holder, if you've lost your badge.
A CCTV camera didn’t see your badge
You'll probably get a letter if this happened. It will include photos of your car when it was parked.
You should appeal if you displayed your Blue Badge correctly.
To help prove that you used your Blue Badge, when you appeal include:
- a letter from anyone who was with you confirming that you displayed your Blue Badge – they should write ‘Witness statement’ at the top
- a copy of any photos sent with the parking ticket if you can see your badge – make sure you circle it on the photo
- a copy of any photos you took of your badge when it was displayed in your car – it’s a good idea to take a photo every time you use your badge
See appealing a parking ticket for what to do next
You couldn't get to your car because of mobility problems
If the reason you have a Blue Badge - for example because you can't walk very far - means you couldn't get back to your car in time, it's worth appealing.
This is because The Equality Act 2010 means parking companies can't discriminate against you because of your mobility problems.
To show it was hard for you to get back to your car in time, when you appeal include:
- details of what happened
- a letter from anyone who was with you, confirming what happened – they should write ‘Witness statement’ at the top
Make sure you explain that you're appealing under The Equality Act 2010, because you think you've been discriminated against.
See appealing a parking ticket for what to do next
The parking attendant thought you displayed your Blue Badge incorrectly
You should appeal if you think you displayed it correctly
To help prove that you displayed your badge correctly, when you appeal include:
- a letter from anyone who was with you, confirming that you displayed your badge correctly – they should write ‘Witness statement’ at the top
- a description of how you displayed your badge, for example if it was on the dashboard and displayed with a clock
- a copy of any photos you took of your badge when it was displayed in your car – it’s a good idea to take one every time you use your badge
See appealing a parking ticket for what to do next
You broke the parking rules by mistake
It's still worth appealing - the Equality Act 2010 means Blue Badge holders must be treated with understanding and can’t be discriminated against.
Make sure you explain in your appeal why you misunderstood the parking rules, including if:
- your disability made it hard for you to understand the rules, for example a sign was a long way away and you can’t walk far to read it
- the signs or road markings weren’t clear, for example if it was dark and they were badly lit
See appealing a parking ticket for what to do next
You were in an NHS car park
It’s always free to park in an NHS car park if you’re a Blue Badge holder and a patient, visitor or employee working at the hospital trust. If you’ve been given a parking ticket in an NHS car park, you should appeal it.